Time to step up to selling

Ian BaldwinI first set foot in this land 30 years ago and was immediately struck by the bright, positive attitude of everyone in sales and service. Having grown up in England, I found America to be very impressive. The U.S. approach to sales—the can-do, want-to-help culture—was refreshing and contagious. What a great place to be a customer!

Fast forward to the present; I have been living here 23 years and, at the risk of being called a cynic, I think service in this country has declined enormously. Think banks, airlines, chain restaurants—you get the picture. In a large corporation it is very hard to maintain a customer-first culture, and American retail is dominated by large corporations.

That knocking sound you hear is Opportunity, primed to give the independent retailer a chance to differentiate by serving as companies used to—and as the public still dreams of. The secret, however, is how well we sell. No longer can we hire plant- or garden-loving people, hoping they can sell. Hope is not a strategy.

Independents 6, Corporate 0
Think of the independent channel’s advantages: 1. Small companies where the owners are usually on-site, often serving customers themselves. 2. Buyers who also sell to the actual people they are buying for. 3. Smaller sites where every customer could be seen and approached within seconds of entering. 4. A knowledgeable and loyal workforce that actually uses the products in and around their own homes. 5. We have a public returning to gardening, while admitting they know very little and clamoring for knowledge and success. 6. Excellent vendors who provide retailers with product knowledge information, advertising support, sharp packaging, fixtures and signage—all designed to make the sale easier in those stressful spring weeks.

So why is it hard to find help in the nursery area on a slow Tuesday in June? Why don’t employees look up from watering and simply say “How are you today?” to someone who is actually paying their wages?

Why do well-dressed ladies have to load heavy soil bags into their cars while employees go about their business? (Shouldn’t that be their business?) Why do shopping carts and sales tickets show no increase in the sales of essential tie-ins? Why do I still hear phrases like “pH,” “pollinizer,” or “indeterminate” when I secretively listen to sales conversations?

Back to the lab
Spring 2009 was a great “lab” for the next few years, with new customers spending money but having no clue where to start. Remember, the National Gardening Association reported that 21 percent of this year’s veggie growers were “first timers.” We have one, maybe two years to capture these people. It’s time to step up to selling or look for another career.

Continuing the lab idea, here is an actual example of a customer service conversation I encountered this year in independent garden centers:

A 30-something woman looking up at hanging baskets in a greenhouse said to no one in particular, “Why don’t they hang them lower where people can read the tag?”

She noticed an employee walking through; he looked her way but kept walking quickly toward the store. Then another employee walked up and asked if she could help. The customer asked if she could hang fuchsias on a hook next to her hummingbird feeders as she had seen this at her Mom’s.

The employee said fuchsia isn’t listed as a plant for hummingbirds, as fuchsias don’t produce much nectar, but “You could ask Mike who is a bird nut and around here somewhere.” She then added that it depended on how shady and windy the spot was, and on the pH of the water used, and she reminded the shopper that as we had not passed the historical last frost date, there was a frost risk and baskets are not guaranteed. Finally, she said, “If you want it, I can get it down for you.”

Not exactly a “Let-me-help-you-succeed” moment was it? No validation of her choice. No encouragement. There was no attempt to develop a conversation leading to more business. Garden centers need to take steps now to make sure these positive conversations happen.

Seven sure steps for success

1. Start at the top. Only owners and senior managers can drive this; few salespeople will admit they need training.
2. Hire people with people-skills first, garden knowledge second; adding knowledge is much easier than changing behavior or character.
3. Spell out clearly the expectation in approaching, selling and winning customers.
4. Invest in sales training and follow-up—just 1 percent of cost of goods (inventory) would double most companies’ training budgets!
5. Hold daily “Ra-Ra’s” and weekly meetings to discuss average-sale-per-customer targets, tip of the week, predictable customer questions, top five products to suggest.
6. Build a culture that walks the walk; recognize employees that do put customers before task.
7. Use secret or mystery shoppers. Test each employee specifically, then review the result, and connect it directly to bonuses or continued employment.

Finally, learn the mantra: “If you can’t change the team, change the team.”

Ian Baldwin’s Garden Center University, run jointly with the American Nursery & Landscape Association, is enrolling for the next class (of 2012) starting in Louisville,Ky., Jan. 30, 2010. Capacity is limited; for details go to anla.org or call 202-789-2900.